Video - Presidential Address of Vice Chancellor Prof. Vasudha Kamat
Centennial Foundation Day: July 5, 2015
Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar, a visionary and a
great Scientist, our Chief Guest today for
the Centennial Foundation Day, Pro Vice
Chancellor, Prof. Vandana Chakrabarti, my
colleagues on the dais, distinguished
Alumnae who are felicitated today as
representatives of our vast Alumni
community, who have always made us proud by
their achievements, Prof. Veena Poonacha and
Prof. Ranjana Mishra, the recipient of
Maharshi Karve Utkrushta Shikshak Puraskar,
Dr. Deepa Sharma and Shri. Barot,
representatives of Shri. M D Shah Mahila
College, recipient of Maharshi Karve
Utkrushta Mahavidyalaya Puraskar, Winners of
SNDT Quiz, distinguished Guests, faculty,
our administrative and technical staff,
students and friends,
IT is a great pleasure to witness this
momentous occasion of Centennial Year
Foundation Day. Bharat Ratna Maharshi Karve
established this unique university for women
as Bharat Varsheeya Mahila Vidyapeeth
(Indian Women’s University) in 1916. Today
it is entering into 100th year and I am very
happy that a visionary like Dr. Mashelkar is
with us to share our joy. I welcome all of
you to the launching of the Centennial Year
Celebrations and also to be with us for the
cause of Women empowerment through higher
education.
Our Motto is Sanskrita Stree Parashakti
which means an Enlightened woman is source
of infinite strength. Maharshi fruitfully
invested many years of his life in creating
positive environment to help women to be
enlightened. Sir Vithaldas Thackersey an
industrialist, a nationalist, a
philanthropist, who got impressed by
Maharshi’s distinctive and exceptional work
for women’s empowerment, gave a generous
donation of Rs. 15 Lakh and Lady Thackersey,
a constructive thinker, a caring mother of
hundreds of women studying in SNDT Women’s
University, who dedicated her life after Sir
Thackersey to the cause of women’s
education. As we celebrate our Centennial
year, I pay my tribute to these three great
personalities.
Maharshi established the university with
only 5 women who enrolled in the College
which is named as SNDT Arts, and Commerce
College for Women at Pune, which is also
celebrating its Centennial Year today.
I am proud that today we have more than
50000 students studying in the 39 post
graduate departments of the university, 13
institutions as well as 174 affiliated
colleges spread across 7 states of India.
Maharshi was happy to maintain the
university’s “National” status.
SNDT operates from 3 campuses 2 in Mumbai
(Churchgate, Juhu) and one in Pune. The
fourth campus is coming us in Shreevardhan
in Raigad district of Maharashtra where we
have established Maharashi Karve Model
College for Women. Government of Maharashtra
has given land and the development of campus
will start soon.
University offers 250 programmes suitable
for women of 21st Century, through its 15
Faculties ranging from Arts and Home Science
to Management and Technology. Recent
addition to the Faculties is Faculty of
Design and Faculty of Communication and
Media Studies. We wish to create Institute
of Design and Institute of Mass
Communication soon.
There are many other institutions we wish to
establish institutions like
asdasd
Institute of Management Studies
Institute of Science
Institute of Nanotechnology
Knowledge Centre
Bhasha Bhavan
Knowledge Centre & Computer Centre
Establishment of e-Learning Centre
e-Governance through Intranet
Central Equipment Facility
We also wish to restore SNDT College of Arts
and Hostel Building which are Heritage
Buildings at Pune. With the financial
support from JSW Foundation we have restored
SNDT Kanyashala Building in Girgaon, thanks
to Smt. Sangita Jindal. The new and
beautiful building will be inaugurated as
JSW Centre of Arts in August.
Maharshi Karve lived on Pune campus in a
small Kutir which we plan to restore and
create two new monuments of Maharshi and Sir
Vithaldas Thackersey on Juhu campus.
International Student Hostel, Guest House
for teachers and visitors, Sports Complex at
Juhu and Pune are some more projects we wish
to develop as a part of our Centennial
Celebrations.
Management Council and Senate have approved
instituting Endowment Fund of Rs. 100 crore.
The strong corpus would help needy but
meritorious women to pursue their education.
In this regard I must mention that since we
announced it during the Pre-Centennial Year
Foundation Day 2014, we have received Rs. 60
Lakhs towards endowment Fund. Great Nuclear
Scientist Dr. Anil Kakodkar and his sister
Dr. Janhavi Gangal donated Rs. 50 Lakh
towards Smt. Kamlatai Kakodkar Endowment
Fund in the name of their mother. Dr. Vijaya
Mulay’s three daughters Prof. Shree Mulay,
Smt. Bharati Sharma and Smt. Suhasini Mulay
have donated Rs. 10 Lakh towards instituting
Dr. Vijaya Mulay Endowment Fund which I
announce today. They have sent following
message
"We are extremely proud and delighted that a
scholarship named after Dr. Vijaya Mulay is
being instituted on this occasion; she has
been a life-long educationist, an ardent
supporter of women's emancipation through
education and a well-wisher of SNDT Women's
University. We send our good wishes for the
continued success of SNDT Women's
University."
I suggest we keep before us (all teachers,
administrative staff, present and past
students of the university) to raise Rs. 10
Crore Endowment Fund during the centennial
year 2015-016.
If 10000 of us give atleast Rs. 10000, we
reach 10 crore mark. And we can start today,
as good things need not wait.
SNDT Women’s University given importance to
research and faculty members are involved in
research. We have introduced Research as a
compulsory component in all Master
programmes across the faculties. Instituted
Research fellowships to Ph. D. scholars and
research grant to faculty members. We plan
to celebrate this year as Research Year
conducting multidimensional
interdisciplinary research.
Digital India Campaign@SNDTWU which is just
launched by the Chief Guest will be a
valuable experience to all faculty, staff
and students. We have connected three
campuses through robust VPN called Maharshi.
On this platform we wish to install many
applications and my technology committee and
faculty members have full faith in the
student potential who will achieve this. One
important application is Intranet Portal
called Susamvad which was inaugurated in
March by Hon’ble Chancellor Shri. Vidyasagar
Rao. Under this 45-day campaign we plan to
orient our faculty and staff to use this
platform.
There are many other programmes / activities
which will be conducted under this campaign
and take the university to the next step on
the digital ladder. Becoming Digital,
getting connected, co-creating and sharing
knowledge
I consider myself privileged to be a part of
this great occasion of Celebrating
Centennial Year as 11th Vice Chancellor of
this prestigious University, the first
women’s university in India and South East
Asia.
I am sure together we can achieve a great
success, reach to greater heights and
fulfill Maharshi’s dream of women
empowerment through higher education.
